IN YOUR DREAMS
Westminster University, Sackerson
May, June 2024
By Morag Shepherd, Matthew Ivan Bennett, Ariana Farber, and Jesse Nepivoda​
8 plays by 4 playwrights for 6 audience members at a time
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Directed by Stephanie Stroud and Morag shepherd
Stage Managed by Miranda Giles
Design by Mitchell Shepherd
Photos by Laura Chapman
Video by Jesse Nepivoda
Sound Design by Morag Shepherd
Performed by Jordan Briggs, Paul McGrew, Juls Marino, Madizon Can-Can,
Brynn Duncan, and Amona Faatau
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The staging is unorthodox. For starters – the audience is limited to six audience members at a time. This isn’t a raucous party – this is an intimate, raw production that places you into personal (almost secretive) moments in one instance, and then in the next allows you time to breathe and contemplate. If I’m being honest, it really kind of stunned me – in the best way. The small audience also kind of bonds in a way – after all, there are indeed only six of you and as you move through the show you start to notice faces and glances thrown to each other as you all navigate this utterly strange and delightful experience together.
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The writing and actors also kept me guessing – even halfway through the show I often found myself thinking that I had no idea what to expect next. Sometimes I found myself laughing. Sometimes I felt myself deeply moved. It was downright lovely.
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This production hit me deeply. Simply – it had a kind of magic to it. Overseen by the steady hands of co-directors Stephanie Stroud and Morag Shepherd, it upturned any previously held expectations of what the evening might hold. I haven’t seen anything like it in Salt Lake City that I can remember. In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit I’ve never seen a Sackerson production before – but, if I’m lucky, In Your Dreams certainly won’t be my last. Sackerson’s “In Your Dreams”–Prepare to be Delighted–and Surprised (Front Row Reviewers)
In total, the performance was about an hour-and-a-half long, and I left feeling absolutely invigorated. It’s pretty unusual for me to depart a show feeling as if it was a completely new, fresh, different experience, and that is exactly how I felt in this case. The whole evening completely subverted my expectation of what a night in the theater consists of; there’s even a moment when audience members receive a monologue sent to the their phones.
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Experimental boutique theater is an important part of the Salt Lake scene, and depending on the future of some of the bigger spaces, it may actually be a necessity to think outside and inside the box, and create shows that further push boundaries and in doing so challenge all of our preconceived notions and expectations.
Review: Sackerson’s ‘In Your Dreams’ thinks inside the box (Gephardt Daily)
SALT LAKE CITY — After a four year long hiatus, Sackerson is back with a new theatrical offering in their true unconventional fashion. Sackerson is a company that has always been a favorite of mine, so naturally, I jumped at the chance to see In Your Dreams. What I have always loved about Sackerson and have come to depend on is that everything they produce is unique and fresh, as they have been creating experimental theatre and redefining innovation since their conception. Their productions are boundary pushing and go beyond the average theatre going experience to become something truly transformative. It is no surprise then that this is the case with In Your Dreams.
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The plays, while not contextually connected, are all interwoven thematically with the concept of dreams; both conscious and subconscious. Directed by Stephanie Stroud and Morag Shepherd, the exceptional writing was brought to life by the incredibly talented actors, the production’s greatest strength. Jordan Briggs, Juls Marino, and Brynn Duncan were extremely engaging and showcased some of the deepest vulnerability from actors that I have ever seen. The unparalleled intimate nature of this production forces a different type of connection between the actor and the viewer, even blurring those lines at times.
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It has been years since I’ve had an immersive theatre experience and this production of In Your Dreams was invigorating. The contemplative and anticipatory vibe was food for my being that I had been missing. I had fun engaging in the arts this way and feeling a different form of energy that comes from live theatre. I applaud Sackerson for bringing this valuable type of theatre to our community and hope that they will continue to do so.
EXPERIENCE INTIMACY WITH SACKERSON’S IN YOUR DREAMS (Utah Theatre Bloggers)
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The overall impact of In Your Dreams reminds of the fantastic 2019 Sackerson production A Brief Waltz in a Little Room: 23 Short Plays about Walter Eyer, which gave individuals a fast-moving tour of 23 short plays. Sackerson shows have a knack for generating a panoply of emotions – jarring, intimidating, vulnerable, humbling, empathetic, weirdly arousing, rueful, contemplative, puzzling and strangely uplifting and liberating.
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The pace for In Your Dreams is more deliberate and relaxed, as individual audience members are rotated, again with the admirably well organized logistics that is part of Sackerson’s creative brand, to experience these eight plays, which are presented in four rounds.

